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Victimology: A Career Specialty in Criminal Justic

An interest in sociology and human behavior is key in pursuing a victimology career. Victimology by dictionary definition is simply the study of victims. In practical application, it applies knowledge of social influences such as lifestyle, work and working conditions, health, and social status to patterns of crime. It looks at why some people or categories of people are victims of crime and how all elements of their environment affect the odds of being a victim. Applied during an investigation of multiple crimes, victimology can uncover what victims of those crimes have in common and perhaps become an important element in finding who committed the crime.

Careers in Victimology

A victimology career can focus on services to victims or the use of victimization knowledge for law enforcement investigation and crime prevention. Knowledge and skills can be used in jobs fields such as investigation, victim assistance or advocacy, case management or counseling, and profiling. An expert in the field would make use of educational background in sociology, law, criminal justice and/or psychology -- and even statistical analysis.

Expertise in victimology can be applied for prevention of crime, as demonstrated by a sampling of research published by the National Institute of Justice and the federal Office for Victims of Crime: Patterns of Violence Toward Women: Risk Factors and Consequences; Violent Victimization of College Students; Indicators of School Crime and Safety; Violence Against Women: Identifying Risk Factors; and Toolkit to End Violence Against Women.

A specialization in victimology often can be earned in applied sciences, sociology, criminology or criminal justice, depending on the college or university. Some institutions now also offer degrees specifically in victimology.

Updated training in various aspects also is offered by various state and federal agencies on an ongoing basis. These often focus on training to deal with categories of victims, such as the elderly, children, or groups targeted for hate crimes. Others provide training for dealing with victims in a specific situation, such as how to notify family members of a victim's death or how to interview or prepare a child who will appear in court.